Tocoi Creek is a tributary of the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

St. Johns County, Florida St. Johns County is a county in the First Coast, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 273,425. The county seat and largest incorporated city is St. Augustine, Florida, St. August ...

. Kayakers report seeing abundant wildlife including

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

s, and

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

and what is left of an old steamship dock as they paddle the creek. The creek is named after a

Timucua The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

n word that means

water lily Water lily or water lilies may refer to: Plants * Members of family Nymphaeaceae * Formerly, members of the genus ''Nelumbo'' (the genus to which lotus belongs) * Some members of the genus ''Nymphoides'' Other uses * ''Water Lilies'' (Monet ...

. The indigenous Timucua lived in the area prior to European contact in the 1500s through about 1800. Its southern bank was once the home to the settlement of Tocoi. The area was a transportation hub in the late 1800s, but it is now considered a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

. In 1872, author

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

, who spent winters in nearby Jacksonville from 1867 to 1884, reportedly called the landing at Tocoi Creek "a shed and a sand-bank and a little shanty, where to those who require, refreshments are served." The St. Johns County school board voted to name its newest high school,

Tocoi Creek High School Tocoi Creek High School (TCHS) is a new public high school in the World Golf Village census-designated place, - Compare to the school zone maps. in north central area of St. Johns County, Florida near St. Augustine. It is part of the St. John ...

, after the creek in December 2020. The school will open in 2021.

References

Tributaries of the St. Johns River Rivers of St. Johns County, Florida {{Florida-river-stub